


An Ending

by canufeelthemagictonight



Series: ETNuary [11]
Category: Escape the Night (Web Series), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Aftermath, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Study, ETNuary, Gen, Guilt, Happy Joey Day!, Moving On, Survivor Guilt, breaking the cycle, if only this was canon!, if the s4 finale had gone differently
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-11
Updated: 2020-01-11
Packaged: 2021-02-25 13:46:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22193248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/canufeelthemagictonight/pseuds/canufeelthemagictonight
Summary: It's so simple to end the story.Joey Graceffa escaping Purgatory, and what happens after.An Escape the Night AU. Day 11 of ETNuary.
Series: ETNuary [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1587721
Comments: 13
Kudos: 13





	An Ending

**Author's Note:**

> Day 11 is Joey Graceffa! Love him, hate him, or love him while _also_ hating him, he's certainly an interesting protagonist. Here's the ending he could've had if he'd just stayed away from the box!

It's so simple to end the story.

Joey leaves Purgatory with Colleen and Bretman, uninfluenced by the siren song of Pandora's deadly box. There, the trio reunites with Matt, Nikita, Jael, and Ryu; a few brief arguments break out, but it's almost midnight, and everyone is far too tired to sort out the particulars of their kinda-sorta-successful-but-not-really mission. Instead, they all go their separate ways. Nikita and Bretman return to their apartment, Matt returns to his family, and Joey...well, he can't return anywhere just yet. Not while he still has a promise to keep.

He, Jael, and Ryu drive Colleen to the police station, as the dark-haired Duchess wants to tell the world that she's alive as soon as she possibly can. By morning, it's all over the news. Joey stays by Colleen's side throughout the paparazzi train that follows, because he never wants to let her down ever again.

(Not after he let so many _other_ people down.)

Eventually, the craziness is dialed back a bit, and Joey finally gets the opportunity to take some time with his family and friends. He tells Daniel everything, as usual. He also talks to his dogs sometimes, although they can't exactly talk back to him. He does not, however, talk to the other survivors about the awful nights they've all gone through. Most don't want to remember them, and some still hold a sliver of resentment towards him for his role in them. Which is fine. He's fairly certain that he deserves a lot worse from them.

There are, thankfully, no more nights after the fourth one. Joey doesn't want to spend the rest of his life chasing ghosts that are just out of his reach. They've all moved on now, and so should he. Yes, he'll always miss them, and he'll always regret what he did to them, but he can't hold a candle for them anymore. After all, whenever he tries to save lives, he only ends up getting people killed again. So why keep taking the chance?

No, instead Joey wants to live a life that's quiet enough for him to put the pieces of his soul back together. He wants to enjoy his remaining days with the people he still has with him.

For the first few years, guilt haunts him day and night, as it would anyone in his situation, but there will come a time when he wakes up in the morning and doesn't immediately cover his ears with pillows to block out his friends' dying screams. There will come a time when he stops looking over his shoulder for the next villain who's out to destroy him and those he holds dear. There will come a time when his sins cease their assault on his heart. There will come a time when he is as close to peace as a man like him can hope to be.

It may not be a happy ending, but it's an ending nonetheless.

(Plus, this ending saves more lives than Joey could possibly comprehend.)

**Author's Note:**

> Next up: GloZell Green!


End file.
